Goalzone

Woodland girls, Torrington boys claw their way into finals By Kyle Brennan Republican-American

WOLCOTT — One thousand, two hundred and twelve minutes (15 games-plus) was how long it had been since the Woodland girls trailed in a Naugatuck Valley League soccer match.

So when Naugatuck jumped on top of the Hawks early in Thursday's Naugatuck Valley League semifinal at Wolcott High, it was anybody's guess as to how Woodland would respond.

"I thought about the fact that we haven't been down in an (NVL) game, so I didn't know what our reaction was going to be," freshman Shea Gerry said.

It turned out to be pretty strong, thanks in large part to Gerry.

She scored the equalizer early in the second half, Keri DeBiase netted the game-winner and No. 1 Woodland rallied for a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Naugatuck to advance to Saturday's league championship

See HAWKS, Page 5C

against Watertown.

After Alexya Alves took a pass from Steph Lima to give the Hounds a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, Woodland coach Joe Fortier set a simple goal for his squad.

"We had to survive the half," Fortier said. "I thought we were playing nervous and that's not our style."

After the Hawks (17-1) survived, they thrived. In the 48th minute, Alaina Neddermann fired a corner kick from the left side toward the right post, where Gerry rose from almost inside the goal to knock in a header and tie the game.

"Alaina crossed the ball and I think it would have gone in if I didn't touch it," Gerry said. "I wanted to make sure it didn't go past the goal."

Ten minutes later, DeBiase put the Hawks ahead when she stole a ball just outside the Naugatuck box, dribbled to the top and blasted a shot that deflected off a defender and bent into the right side of the net.

"I have no idea (what happened)," DeBiase said. "I kicked it and it went in. I think they said it hit off someone but it just spun and the way it went in, I just thought it never happens like that."

"Big players step up in big games," Fortier said. "She got rattled in the first half but she regrouped. Once she started playing with confidence, she took over."

Freshman Alexa Casimiro provided the insurance goal on a 20-yard direct kick she tucked inside the left upper-90 with 13 minutes to play, giving the Hawks' freshmen two of their three goals.

"In big games we've had in the past, we've played tight and nervous. These freshmen don't play like that," Fortier said. "They go on the field and expect to win every time. They score a goal and they're like, I do this all the time."

Naugy is 10-6-1.

It took nearly the entire game to decide a winner in the night's second contest, a boys semifinal between No. 2 Naugatuck and No. 3 Torrington.

Through a barrage of Greyhound shots, a pair of Red Raider Shanes, Walker and Bierfeldt, emerged to net the game's only goal in the 69th minute and lead Torrington to a 1-0 victory.

On a Torrington counterattack, Jairo Borja dribbled down the middle and found Bierfeldt on the left wing. He penetrated toward the end line, then dished to the top of the 6-yard box to Walker, who flicked it past Naugatuck goalkeeper Fez Pereira for the goal.

"(Borja) played a beautiful ball to the corner and I saw Shane screaming for it in the middle," Bierfeldt said. "I put it on the ground and it just happened."

"It was a little Spanish flick, or European or something," Walker said of his nifty heel play. "That was pure adrenaline. I just got there and got it in."

Torrington's defense had its hands full throughout most of the other 79 minutes. But the Red Raiders (13-4-1), led by goalkeeper Zack Paniati, shut out Adam Branco and the potent offense for Naugatuck (12-4-2).

"I think they were dominating, but in a way we were still playing a great defensive game," Torrington coach Mike Fritch Jr. said. "They had the possession but I don't think we gave them one good look. I'll give a shot from the 25-yard-line all day."

Paniati — called a "puma in the pipes" by Bierfeldt — saved all 12 shots he saw, including five in the first half and a flurry late in the second to preserve the win.

"(Paniati) made some unbelievable saves in the first half," Naugatuck coach Art Nunes said. "We had shots just going by the post. They had good opportunities, too. It was just a well-played game."

The keeper deflected credit to his defense, who cleaned up plenty of messes in front of him all night.

"They all put in 100 percent for the whole entire game," said Paniati, whose team will face Watertown for the league title Saturday. "They were able to control it by themselves until after we scored, and then we brought some more people back. That's why we won."

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